Breaking down barriers, bringing communities together and supporting people to improve their wellbeing, whatever their background, are some of the core values underpinning Richmond’s thriving voluntary sector which has over 800 organisations providing services that enrich our community.
Those shared values and a sense of common purpose were certainly evident when I was invited to Multicultural Richmond’s 30th anniversary celebrations recently in Whitton. Multicultural Richmond has worked relentlessly for decades to promote understanding and appreciation of different cultures, and to reduce/eliminate discrimination through their varied series of programmes ranging from health and wellbeing activities, digital skills support, English classes and youth groups, to projects focusing on building integration, tackling inequality and organizing inspiring multifaith and multicultural events such as the one I was honoured to attend. By supporting people who experience racial disadvantage or crime and/or find it difficult to access mainstream services, Multicultural Richmond actively builds social cohesion while at the same time celebrating cultural and ethnic diversity.
And what a vibrant celebration it was with performances by a hugely talented Ukrainian dance ensemble, Ham Social Club’s fabulous Hong Kong Singing Group and a colourful and energetic Bollywood dance group with members from across the globe. Of course, there was also delicious food and drink from around the world to tantalize our taste buds.
Multicultural Richmond’s goals resonate with me personally as I was born in Latin America and brought up in India and later Scotland. I then travelled and worked overseas and eventually settled and married a South African from an ethnic and religious minority. As a result, it took me a while to call anywhere home and when people used to ask me where I was from, I found it difficult to answer because it was no one place or culture.
That is until I came to this great cosmopolitan city of ours – London – and more specifically to Richmond – which has links to so many parts of the world and where we felt welcome and could be exactly who we wanted to be. That is in good part because of what an organisation like Multicultural Richmond has worked so hard to build – a thriving, integrated and inclusive multi-cultural community that makes you feel whoever you are, wherever you are from, you belong. Multicultural Richmond and what they represent and strive for makes us all better and stronger, so let’s all raise a toast and celebrate our different communities and cultures and the richness, energy, fresh thinking, talent, and sheer joy they bring.
Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens are also working hard to broaden their reach and draw in people from all communities and backgrounds, many who perhaps have never visited before, with their new Autumn festival: Queer Nature running from 30 September to 29 October, including weekend and after hours events.
I was very privileged to get a sneak preview of this fascinating event in the Temperate House which is dedicated to the incredible diversity of plants and fungi on our planet. It reveals the infinite varieties of life – a world far richer and more complex than I had certainly realized. It is a world where the concept of binary is challenged and redefined by the extraordinary and compelling processes that occur in the plant and fungal kingdoms. There are also some magnificent artistic installations which help people engage with nature from the monumental suspended House of Spirits artwork by indigenous New York based artist, Jeffrey Gibson to the digital installation Queer Voices by Briton Adam Nathanial Furman where LGBTQ+ scientists, horticulturists, historians, artists, and writers come together in a series of video interviews and revelatory reflections.
In addition, you can experience Breaking the Binary, a temporary garden display by award-winning designer Patrick Featherstone, which is the result of an exciting collaboration with the Kew Youth Forum, part of Kew’s Young People’s Programme. You can hear Reverberations, a response to the theme of Queer Nature through the spoken word, by artists Lili K right and Ama Josephine Budge Johnstone. For me it was a captivating evening of intriguing insights, and I was inspired to hear Richard Deverell, Director, say how Kew, a registered charity, is determined to forge a culture and programmes to ensure individuals of every background and identity are not only welcomed but embraced. Kew believes that their gardens should be a haven not just for plants but also a sanctuary for human connection, understanding and wellbeing.
These core values were echoed when I visited the Mulberry Centre, the independent charity and award-winning cancer information and support centre at West Middlesex University Hospital for its annual Open Day which shone a light on how essential the centre’s services are to the local communities it serves, including Richmond. There are no postcode boundaries, and the services are free in a welcoming, non-clinical environment. They for anyone affected by a diagnosis of cancer, whether they are the cancer patient, their main carer/supporter, family members or those bereaved. The centre offers practical ways of enhancing emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing including counselling and support groups, complementary therapies, wellbeing classes, social activities, online support and a new coaching service.
When visiting these organisations I felt truly humbled by the breadth and scope of the work they do in our community and was struck by the fact that although they work in different areas, they strive to reach out and to be welcoming and supportive to us all, whoever we are and wherever we are from. It made me realise how important it is to celebrate the values we have in common and at the same time how united we can be in all our glorious diversity.
https://www.richmond.gov.uk/news/comment_spot/comment_spot_archive/comment_spot_2023/bringing_communities_together_and_improving_our_wellbeing
